While Dominick Cruz’s mixed martial arts career has braked for a pit stop, he’ll be getting help from the racing world to get back on track.

Cruz, the UFC’s bantamweight champion, is being sponsored by the Phoenix International Raceway for his next fight, which is expected to take place in early 2013. The 27-year-old will wear the track’s logo on his shirt and shorts.

A torn ACL has sidelined Cruz since May, but that didn’t stop him from getting behind the wheel of a pace car. On Sunday, he did his second drive for the AdvoCare 500, which is part of Sprint Cup series.

“To feel even a sliver of the adrenaline that these drivers experience was so awesome, and I can’t wait to do it again,” he stated.

PIR’s one-mile oval, which is located in Avondale, Ariz., hosts two NASCAR Sprint Cup events each year.

The bantamweight champ was a hit with the crowd in March when he helped to kick off the Subway Fresh Fit 500 race, said Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan Sperber. Middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva also drove a pace car at a Sprint Cup event in November.

Cruz, however, is the first MMA fighter to be sponsored by the racetrack. Sperber said the fighter’s Arizona roots and love of racing make him a perfect fit.

“We jumped at the chance to be able to support Dom,” Sperber said. “We’re able to showcase what we’re doing to the UFC’s audience. It’s kind of a groundbreaking opportunity because it’s never been done.”

Cruz, a three-time WEC champ before becoming the UFC champ, served as a coach on “The Ultimate Fighter: Live” opposite former champ Urijah Faber. He was training for a traditional season-ending fight with his rival when the injury occurred.

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